Director, Financial Aid Operations & Technology

Director, Financial Aid Operations & Technology

The purpose of this position is to provide technical oversight and support to the Financial Aid office as it relates to the student information system and software products utilized in the delivery of federal, state, and institutional financial aid. This position is responsible for the configuration, operation, and maintenance of the technology platforms used to capture, store, and process information used in the administration of financial aid.

Bachelor’s degree with seven (7) years of relevant full-time experience in Financial Aid, with a focus on financial aid systems, enterprise applications, and data analytics, or a Master’s degree with five (5) years of similar experience is required. A Master’s degree is preferred. Three (3) years of supervisory experience required.

Class Specific Essential Duties:

• Assist the Senior Director of Financial Aid to manage the overall day-to-day operations of the assigned function.
• Provide leadership and supervision of assigned college division or function.
• Develop and implement goals and objectives in coordination with senior leadership.
• Plan, coordinate, and implement projects, programs, and/or initiatives.
• Supervise, advise, and evaluate assigned staff, as required.
• Prepare, analyze, and provide reports, as requested.
• Serve as a liaison between college departments, vendors, government agencies, and/or other external organizations.
• Manage operating budget for assigned division or function, as required.

Position Specific Essential Duties:

• Work with staff in Admissions, Registrar’s office, Student Accounts, IT, etc. to ensure that the college’s system of record (Banner) is properly configured to capture and report financial aid data, and that the functionality of the system is optimized to support efficient, robust operations.
• Ensure that the external and auxiliary systems used for the administration of financial aid are properly set up and utilized effectively in daily operations (e.g., Next Gen, COD, CPS, SAIG, TD Client, EdConnect, EdExpress, NSLDS and ELM online services).
• Work with internal and external college partners (IT, Next Gen, etc.) to ensure the college’s reporting platforms are properly configured to report financial aid data.
• Set up and support the routine import of data into the technology platforms.
• Develop SQL queries, reports, and automated solutions to support senior-level compliance monitoring, data governance, and process improvement initiatives that ensure compliance with federal, state, and institutional regulations governing financial aid processes.
• Ensure the accurate and efficient flow of information between systems, leveraging expertise from IT partners to optimize the integration of all technology and data platforms.
• Assist the senior leadership of Financial Aid with data and systems audits to ensure the integrity of information.
• Manage a risk-based quality control program that provides continuous monitoring of the college’s financial aid systems to ensure compliance with regulatory compliance procedures, including transaction testing, reporting, deficiency tracking, and remediation.
• Serve as a point of contact for troubleshooting technology and operational issues which hinder the flow of applicants through the financial aid process.
• Provide leadership and supervision of Financial Aid Operation & Technology staff.